Method and apparatus for making glass wool



July 16, 1940. D. SOUBIER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLASS WOOL iginal Filed April 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY July 16, 1940. SOUBlER 2,207,764

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLASS WOOL Original Filed April 18, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY Patented July 16, 1940 PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING GLASS WOOL Leonard D. Soubier, Toledo, Ohio, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application April 18, 1934, Serial 'No. 721,163

Renewed December 22, 1937 6 Claims.

My invention relates to methods and apparatus for use in the manufacture of glass wool. The invention in its preferred form comprises means for flowing a plurality of streams of molten glass,

5 rotating mandrels individual.to the streams on which the glass is wound, blowers by which the glass is drawn from the mandrels and drawn into fine threads or filaments, burners associated with the mandrels and operative to heat the glass and maintain it at the desired high temperature, and means for adjustably regulating and controlling the temperature.

An object of my invention is to provide practical and effective means for adjustably controlling the temperature of the glass flowing over the mandrels.

A further object of the invention is to provide means compactly arranged for delivering a multiplicity of streams of glass, drawing the streams [9 into filaments, and delivering the drawn filaments in a compact form.

A further object is the provision of means for delivering the filaments produced simultaneously from a plurality of streams of glass to a common 5 delivery point.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on a larger scale, the section being taken at the line HII on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section at the line IIIIII on Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus.

l A continuous supply of molten glass is provided by a container II) which may be a forehearth extension of a melting and refining tank. The container I0 is provided with a roof or cover I I. At the forward end of the container is a flow p block l2 formed with channels I3 which are downwardly and forwardly inclined. The channels may be separated by partition walls ll. A battery of mandrels l5 are mounted within a chamber or chambers l6 formed in the lower portion of the flow block l2. The mandrels are mounted to rotate in bearing blocks H, the latter formed in bearing plates or brackets l8 bolted to a supporting plate I! which underlies and supports the flow block.

The mandrels are conical or frusto-conical in shape, being downwardly and forwardly tapered with their outer ends projecting into or through openings 23 in the forward ends of the chambers l 6. The body portion of each mandrel is made of mulite or other suitable refractory material and the tip 2| of the mandrel is preferably made of a metal which will withstand the high tempera-' ture to which it is subjected. The tip 2| may be threaded onto the lower end of a central rod or shaft 22 extending lengthwise through the man- 5 drel, the upper end portion of said shaft being journaled in the bearing block I1. Keyed to the upper end of the rod 22 is a bevel gear 23. A pinion 24 running in mesh with the gear 23 is carried on a vertical shaft 25 mounted in the bracket IB. A gear 26 is keyed on the lower end of the shaft 25. A horizontally disposed drive shaft 21 is made in sections having mounted thereon gears 28 individual to and meshing with the gears 26. A gear 23 on one end section of the shaft 21, runs in mesh with a gear 30 at the upper end of a power driven shaft 3|. Continuous rotation of the shaft 3| operates through the described gearing to continuously rotate the mandrels.

The glass flows in thin streams through the channels l3, the rate of flow being adjustably regulated and controlled by damper blocks 32 individual to said channels and. individually adjustable up and down. The streams of glass flow downward from the channels l3 onto the rotating mandrels so that the glass is spread out in a film which covers the entire surface of each mandrel below and forward of the point at which the glass flows onto the mandrel. The temperature of the glass flowing over the mandrels is regulated and controlled by burners 33 individual to the mandrels. Fuel gas is supplied to the burners through a manifold 33*. Each burner projects downward through an opening 34 in the 35 upper wall of the flow block and the burning gases are directed downward from the burners through individual passageways 35 to the heat chambers l6. These burning gases entering a heat chamber l6 impinge directly on the layer or film of glass covering the mandrel, thereby heating the glass to the desired high temperature. A portion or all of the gases may circulate through the heat chamber in a manner to surround and envelop the mandrel. The spent gases are conveyed from the heat chamber I6 upwardly through the channel l3 to a stack 36. These gases passing upward through the channel l3 are in direct contact with the glass flowing through said channels, thereby preventing chilling of. the glass. Dampers 31 individual to the stacks 36 are separately adjustable to regulate the draft and thereby adjustably regulate and control the amount of heat supplied to the glass flowing over the mandrels.

Blowers 40 individual to the mandrels are located in front of the openings 20 in position to receive the streams of glass which are drawn ofi the tips of the mandrel by the force of the air, steam or other gas from the blowers. The blowers 40 may be of conventional construction and operate to continuously reduce the streams of glass to fine threads or filaments. The mandrels are preferably arranged, as shown, in an'arc or sector of a circle with their axes converging to a point so that the filaments of glass will all be directed to a common delivery point. It will be understood, however, that the specific arrangement of the mandrels and blowers may be somewhat modified and still obtain this result, particularly as the angle of a blower relative to the mandrel may be varied within rather wide limits because the glass will be drawn through the blower by the force of the blast of gas regardless of the particular angle of the blower. Partition walls 4! are provided between the heat chambers l6, but may be omitted, if desired, thereby providing a heat chamber common to all of the mandrels.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim: 7

1. The combination of means for flowing a stream of molten glass through space, a rotating mandrel in the path of said stream, and blowing means positioned in advance of the mandrel and operative to draw the glass from the mandrel and reduce it to fine threadlike or filamentary form.

2. The combination of a container for molten glass, a battery of mandrels, means for flowing streams-of glass from the container onto said mandrels, said mandrels being tapered and convergently arranged, and means for drawing filaments oi glass from the tapered ends of the mandrels toward a common point.

3. The combination of a container for molten glass, means providing a plurality of channels arranged side by side through which streams of glass flow from the container, heat chambers beneath said channels into which the streams of glass flow, a battery of mandrels individual to said streams and mounted for rotation in the 5 heat chambers in position to receive the streams of glass, a battery of burners arranged to direct burning gases into said chambers, said channels being arranged to receive the gases from the heat chambers, stacks individual to said channels 1( through which the gases are discharged, and dampers individual to said stacks.

4. The method which comprises flowing a stream of molten glass from a supply body, rotating the flowing glass about an axis and spreadu ing the glass into the form of a hollow conical body, flowing the glass continuously from the tapered or pointed end 'of the conical body, and drawing it continuously into attenuated threadlike or filamentary form. at

5. The methodof producing a fine filament, which comprises flowing thermoplastic material from a supply body in a stream through space onto a convergent surface, rotating said surface and thereby spreading the material over said 2| surface, causing the material to flow along the rotating surface and converge to the form of a small stream, and applying pneumatic pressure to said stream in the directionof its flow and thereby attenuating the stream to fine filamentary a form while anchored to the said surface.

6. The combination with means for flowing an integral stream of molten glass, of a mandrel positioned to receive and support the flowing stream, means for rotating the mandrel and SI spreading the glass thereover in film formation, said mandrel shaped to cause a convergent flow of the film of glass thereon, and a blower arranged to draw the converged glass in an integral stream from the mandrel and attenuate it into a filamentary form. v

LEONARD D. SOUBIER. 

